We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marie Chan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marie below.

Hi Marie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

My debut children’s book, Mamie Takes a Stand: The True Story of Mamie Tape, a Chinese American Girl’s Fight for School Rights (Ten Peaks Press, 2024) is the book that I wished I could have read as a kid. When I was a child, I rarely saw Chinese American women represented in the biography section of my school or public library. This sense of invisibility and omission of my cultural heritage in children’s literature muted my voice and affected my identity formation. I often chose not to speak Mandarin at school and tried to assimilate into mainstream culture, instead of embracing the unique way God shaped me and valuing my cultural background. Mamie Tape’s story inspired me because she and her family courageously stood up against injustice during the time of the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act and fought for her right to have access to a public education.

I am overjoyed when friends send me photos of my book, Mamie Takes a Stand, in their local library. I am encouraged when students tell me how they connect with Mamie’s story and see themselves reflected in my book. I am excited about the opportunities to lead professional development workshops for teachers, who are interested in using Mamie Takes a Stand in their classrooms. I hope things will change for the better in the future as more educators, librarians, and parents value diverse books and introduce them to their students and children.

I am grateful that my book, Mamie Takes a Stand, recently received a 2024 Eureka! Gold Award for Excellence in Children’s Nonfiction from the California Reading Association. Mamie Takes a Stand also was included on the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature’s list of Best Books of 2024.

Marie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I write children’s books that highlight hidden figures in Asian American history. Being the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants inspired me to write diverse children’s books that amplify underrepresented voices and build cross-cultural awareness. I hope my writing encourages those who are marginalized to feel seen, valued, and loved. My writing celebrates the unique way each person has been made in the image of God.

I am a former California public school teacher and specialize in teaching English as a second language. I have volunteered extensively helping international students, immigrant families, and refugees. I am also an adoptive mom and I lead a trauma-informed support group for adoptive and foster parents. I hope my book helps readers grow in empathy and respect for others to create a more just and compassionate world.

I love inspiring students and sharing the research behind my book Mamie Takes a Stand. My presentations reach both young and old audiences. I presented to young children during Storytime in the Galleries at Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California and mostly to elders when I spoke with Mamie Tape’s great-granddaughter at the Portland Chinatown Museum. Children’s books are not just for kids. In fact, a Chinese American teacher, who was 99 years old, bought my book when I spoke in Portland, Oregon. I also enjoy meeting families in the community at book festivals, such as the Los Angeles Kids’ Book Festival and the Orange County Children’s Book Festival. You can find more information about my upcoming events at https://mariechan.com/upcoming-events/.

You can request me to speak at your school or your local library. I also am available to lead writing workshops for children and adults and provide professional development for teachers. You can learn more about the workshops I can customize for your group at https://mariechan.com/speaking/.

Although my main genre is children’s books, I appreciate all forms of art and integrating them into my creative life. I enjoy seeing how the text and illustrations complement each other in a picture book. I appreciate music and visual arts. I like hand-lettering and Chinese calligraphy; writing slowly each stroke by hand is such a calming practice. I think it is important to introduce different art forms to children, and therefore, I intentionally included visual and hands-on activities in the Parent and Educator Resource Guide I wrote for Mamie Takes a Stand. You can download the digital Parent & Educator Guide for Mamie Takes a Stand at mariechan.com/books for engaging, multisensory, cross-curricular activities to use with your book club, family, or classroom.

I also consult authors on writing curriculum guides and help them create activities to use with their books. You can contact me at my website, mariechan.com, if you are interested in scheduling a consultation about writing, creating, or receiving feedback about a parent and educator resource guide to accompany your book.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Art speaks to the deepest part of our souls and can transform hearts. The power of storytelling brings light to dark places. I love intricately weaving themes of love, justice, kindness, and compassion in my stories and seeing how words have the power to deepen our understanding of others, build bridges, cross cultures, and break down walls between us.

I am amazed to see how a story I have written takes on a new meaning and a life of its own when others respond and connect to it. My book opened up conversations and created a safe space for people to share their oral histories and feel seen, heard, and valued. I am encouraged when people have shared how seeing themselves represented in my book made them feel affirmed and unashamed of their cultural heritage.

Creating art reflects our Creator, the master designer. We are each God’s master work of art! My hope is that we can treat each other with the same care and kindness that God put into weaving each one of us. Creativity is part of our being and I find that when I create authentically, I can connect to God in a deeper way.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help; the worst anyone can say is no. But in my experience, most people say yes!
I am grateful that my husband encouraged me to contact an author when I was first learning how to write children’s books. I have discovered that even though these authors have written many books, they are very generous and kind and want to help new writers. In fact, some of these authors have become dear friends and mentors on my writing journey. Other times I had to ask well-known professors and historians for help with my research, and I have been pleasantly surprised to see how generous they have been with replying to my questions and being willing to provide their expertise and resources because they genuinely care about the topic.

I am especially thankful for women of color writers from the Redbud Writers Guild and Entrusted Women who faithfully prayed for me during the times when I wanted to give up and felt discouraged about publishing my book. I mistakenly thought that once you are published things would be easy, but experienced writers still face rejection too. I have been pleasantly surprised when experienced authors say that they have learned something from me. We are lifelong learners and we can always learn something new from someone else, no matter what our life stage or stage of our careers we are in. I have asked younger, new writers for help with social media and then I have reciprocated by sharing what I have learned on my journey to publication. Writing can sometimes feel isolating and I learned that I need a writing community to grow in my craft, to give and receive constructive criticism, and to launch a book. Also, it is much more fun and effective to partner with other authors for book events; we truly are better together!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mariechan.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariechanbooks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariechanbooks/
• Twitter: https://x.com/mariechanbooks

Image Credits

Book events: Chan Family.

Book images: Illustrations by Sian James (Ten Peaks Press, an imprint of Harvest House Publishers).

Headshots: Jack Randall Photography.